Drop Of Golden Sun
by Tabby J Skylark
Summary: A twisted tale with everyone in it. A race ends tragically for Ray and outrageous events follow. Features all sorts of DC characters and time periods. [An alternate story around YJ#51] Ch2 up!
1. Sunshine, My Only Sunshine

DROP OF GOLDEN SUN  
Chapter One: My Only Sunshine  
  
***  
  
DISCLAIMER:   
  
Young Justice is all DC, not me! … Ah, an aspiring poet… ^_^  
  
A/N:   
  
Hey, how are ya? Wow. A Ray story. Don't worry - everyone else is here too. ANYWAY, this is obviously the David/Nauck Ray from Young Justice - you know, Issue #41 onward, else it wouldn't be here. I've never read the original Ray I or Ray II comics, though I did a little biographical research out of interest. Hm, I own Crisis Times Five (1-4) too, but that wasn't any help. Oh, and another flaw - I'm not an authority on Young Justice either. My sister collects and I was exposed through her. My point here, folks? I'm writing this with little information. Oh, I'm SUCH a hypocrite. ^_^ I've always felt people shouldn't write about something unless they have a good knowledge of the primary documents, yet here I am with this, regardless. Silly me. How tunes change, eh? The underlying message I'm rambling towards? Please be kind. I don't want you experts who know every DC syllable tearing me apart. ^_^ Just ignore every error, please and thanks. God bless ya for it! ;)   
  
Additionally, please note I consider Ray's eyes green and hair sandy brown. I mean, people SAY red - and I can admittedly almost see it in certain panels - unfortunately I feel YJ Ray has light brown hair. Sorry, guys. Picture your preference, perhaps… hm… whatever, right?  
  
IMPORTANT: Don't be fooled by the beginning! KEEP READING, trust me.   
  
BTW, there should be several chapters, each around fifteen to twenty pages. Give this thing a chance, please. It's not AT ALL what it seems. Hopefully I keep ya guessing. That's the plan! ^_^ Enjoy! Reviews appreciated!   
  
~ Tabby J, 2003   
  
***  
  
Faint singing, little girls' voices carrying with melancholy innocence across a breeze neither warm nor cold…  
  
"…Ring around the rosy…"   
  
It's a funny story, really, mine…  
  
"A pocket full of posies…"   
  
Well, alright… maybe not funny Ha Ha…  
  
"A tissue… a tissue…"   
  
Actually… it's one of the saddest stories you'll ever hear.   
  
"We all fall down."   
  
***  
  
We're here for a good time  
Not a long time  
So, have a good time   
The sun can't shine everyday   
- Trooper   
  
Man… life's so short. Mine especially. First they wasted it… then I wasted it. I absolutely wasted it. We all waste everything, really.   
  
***  
  
Void. Hm, funny word that. Void. Means an empty place - yet, also means to be without. Well, believe me, friend… when you live in a void you live without. Now, I may be wrong, but I also associate the word with being no good and not being able. Ya, void's a funny word. Sums up my situation perfectly. I'm every void…   
  
Man… I miss things. Lots of things. Everything, actually. Ya, you miss everything when you're every void. I even miss the things I hate… just on principal. You understand.   
  
Watching was the hardest part. Watching everything I couldn't have…   
  
***  
  
I suppose I could have screamed. I suppose I could have shrieked my throat black with blood, but I had sense then; sanity. No, before the despair took me I just watched in frustrated silence. Staring in helplessly, hopelessly from the sidelines, thinking endlessly. Thinking and thinking. Then praying and praying - funny, I wasn't religious until this little bit of business… No, I had hope back in the silence. They say a hero never loses hope - or at least, when they do they cease to be a hero. Well, HELL, I was just some kid. I joined the game too late, played for a year and then… nothing. Endless, silent nothing.   
  
The screaming started. Long and hard and filled with hateful rage no one can ever know until they know what I know. No one knows what I know. No one. The screaming was as endless as the silence surrounding it and eventually I wasn't sure if it was even real… How can silence be sound and sound silence? I mean, what the hell IS sound? … OK, let me run this one by ya: If I tree falls in the woods and nobody's around to hear… does it make a sound? I don't think so. I mean, sound is waves hitting our ears. If there's no ears for the waves to hit - hell, no sound. I mean, even if you set a video camera out in the woods and wait for that widow maker, I'm telling ya, man - when you play the tape the waves hit your ears. That's not proof. Sound's only heard when there are ears to hear it! And check this… two guys are together, one deaf and one not, K? There's a sound. What sound? Who cares. Sure, no sound exists for the deaf guy - tree falling syndrome, right? Well, hell, sound still exists in general in the scenario coz there's a pair of wave-vibrating ears present. Someone tried to beat me with that deaf guy take once. MAN, just shut up, people! Like you've had a billion years to think about this crap! … You understand, I'm sure…  
  
Sorry, YA… when you've got all eternity… you start to think very, very deeply along very troubled lines… TOO deeply along ALL troubled lines… I suppose that's when the madness starts. The crying. Endless crying that turns to endless laughing… and then finally endless screaming again until you simply CANNOT BREAK THE CYCLE. Scream, cry, laugh… scream, cry - LORD!  
  
Hope wasn't abandoned, I suppose. Merely forgotten altogether. Plagued no longer when futile theories of escape… I became distracted with the deepness. There's no other way to put it - the deepness of it all. The thoughts that lead to madness. Reality blurred and everything in question, everything sleepy and deep. Sleepy inside and the outside forgotten. Eventually, I couldn't even see them anymore. Any of them. Anything out there at all. I was wide awake… yet asleep to it somehow. Unbeknownst, a new plague set in, haunting me, within myself - distorting, poisoning…   
  
AH! Do I even HAVE a voice? Do I just imagine the sound of - ER, do I confuse it with the voice in my HEAD? Is there a voice in one's head or do they simply confuse it with speech or, NO, simply THINK it exists… Sound inside my head? No, there can't be sound inside - there CAN'T - my ears don't vibrate in there! My ears don't vibrate in there! They don't vibrate at all anymore! I can't hear! I can't - help me! Lord, Lord, LORD… if you're out there… please save me from this place… or at least save me from madness… Lord, I always dreamed of living forever young… but… not like this. Not like this at all. This is Hell. HELL.  
  
HELL!!! (Hell… hell… hell…)  
  
Is there really an echo in here? How could questionable sound bounce off non-existent walls? What contains me? Where is here? WHAT is here? Does HERE even exist? … Reality is forever shattered, I suppose. I can do nothing more than the cycle… which I promise you will someday end in silence just as it aimlessly began. Someday, in this dayless realm, my soul - which lies upon the edge of a blade, balancing in madness - will finally fall and shatter like glass. Silence. All will be silent then. Forever. Light is eternal silence, they say. Whoever the hell THEY is…  
  
You understand, I'm sure… I know you understand. Ah, the voices on the wind… the voices of melancholy children… so sleepy… so…  
  
"DOE… a deer, a female deer…"  
  
The plague I battled was madness.   
  
"RAY… a drop of golden sun…"  
  
I wish I could tell you I won.  
  
***  
  
Ray Terrill didn't slam from his bed or bolt upright gasping. He didn't cry out, scream or cry as some do. His eyes fluttered gently a moment and then finally opened, focused and took on a look of concentration, a look of remembrance… his unconscious fading as conscious set in…  
  
The strange nightmare of a crazed man rambling, mumbling unintelligibly, slipped away into the haze of unconscious from whence it came. A crazed monologue. A soft breeze carrying soft voices… It didn't seem a nightmare, but it had certainly been one. The crazed sob story, the endless emptiness and the whispers that followed - it didn't seem the stuff of nightmares, but it was. It WAS. It hadn't been the words or images. It had been the feelings. He'd felt the desperation, the pain, the panic, the terror, the absolute RAGE… and finally… the insanity… Yet, nothing had been worse than that frightened desperation - it had been the cause of all the others. That shattering desperation…   
  
Trapped, absolutely trapped… FOREVER…  
  
With a soft groan, the attractive young man rolled off the couch at YJ Headquarters, dream forgotten. He'd crashed there again. There was little else in his life… He'd never had much of a life… He wasn't like other youths by ANY stretch of the imagination…   
  
Rubbing his eyes, he subconsciously ran a hand through his unkempt hair… wishing he could just sleep in and lounge about in a housecoat all day… with a coffee, sleepy and trying carelessly to be even a little productive - wandering aimlessly about the house, turning on the computer but doing nothing with it… He missed those groggy days of old, before everything had changed. Before he'd found out about his genetic "gift"…   
  
Now that he knew, there were few casual moments. The odd game of pool, a sport here or there - it WAS nice to be allowed outside, after all - but, hell, it was always go, go, go. He was suddenly caught up in this global game of mask and cape. This duel of egotistical, pretentious images. He had an image to hold up. Face to keep before the others. In a league or no, you still had to keep up the image. Casual moment, quiet game of pool - whatever - you still had the image to keep up. The game never slept. Even when YOU slept… pray you didn't snore…  
  
He found it especially bad, personally, as he'd never dealt with people or image ever before. They were a shocking new - AH! Suddenly, as though a shocking reminder, images of the darkness slammed back to him, hard and unfocused. AH! The dark house, the isolation, the locks and blacked out windows, people staring from the street… The lonely darkness… He'd spent much of his early childhood in the pitch black BASEMENT, for God's sake - OH MY GOD - never, NEVER again - AH. No, this was much better. Much better. Don't you ever forget it, Ray. Much better. His earliest memories, his BIRTHDAYS - the basement - GOD…   
  
His thoughts drifted to breakfast as his morning malcontent, for it was a morning thing, deepened. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone… but food wasn't working for him anymore. Literally. He still hadn't mastered his powers and probably never would… therefore, change was constant within him. At this point in his fiery development, dairy soured in his stomach. His digestive track in general was on the fritz - failing to give him the full nutritional content of anything and often bringing food poisoning. Blazingly matchless heartburn haunted his nights.  
  
Sighing, he found himself in the kitchen, forcing upon himself an air of dignity, when truthfully, he missed his housecoat and wanted to sleepily shuffle about with some steamy mocha. BAH, his housecoat would burn off his body and the creamy coffee would simply sour in his st-  
  
"Morning, Sunshine." Snapper was at the kitchen table. Ray nodded in masculine greeting and opened the fridge. After a moment the older man added, "Sleep well?"  
  
"Can't complain - you?"  
  
"Had the weirdest dream. Savage - yet somehow adorable - space beasts were chasing me around a living room with fish… and get this, they were wearing lamp shades on their heads…"  
  
Ray smiled and closed the fridge with nothing, for the thought of anything within made him physically ill. Burning, food poisoning…  
  
"You dream much?" Spoon in hand, Snapper was eating peanut butter.  
  
"Everyone dreams every night, Snap… it's only a question of whether one remembers or not."  
  
"You know what I mean…" Snapper was mildly put off. "Do you remember-"  
  
"Actually…" Ray interrupted with another slapping flash of remembrance… and then his heightened tone slipped away, as did the memory. He stood, hand still on the fridge, staring softly in deep thought. Then, suddenly - jerking his head, he casually resumed, "Damn. Almost remembered." Shaking his head again, nonchalant, he smiled at Snapper and sat down.   
  
"Gotta hate that…" Snapper sounded indifferent, eyes in his jar, digging deeper with his silver spoon. Then, very casual, eyes still down - "So… all this brooding, bad blood between you and Kon … Been ignoring it awhile now, but it's starting to affect-"  
  
"His immature, obnoxious, egotistical attitude turns everything into hostile rivalry. He's no longer the STAR, Snapper - the unique center of attention. Obviously never had his place challenged. It's his childish way of dealing with the threat he feels I pose. I'm older and we're equally matched-"  
  
Eyes up - "You're both to blame. Listen to yourself, man - you're all ego too. He pushes then you shove. You're both playing the game. Personally, I don't give a crap about your power trip, macho testosterone CRAP, but it's hard on the team… It's a power struggle and it takes two to tango." … Silence … then pointlessly, "If you two did literally, in fact, tango… who'd have the rose in their-"  
  
"Snapper." Ray interrupted, ticked. "Someone's got to put the arrogant ass in his place, alright?"   
  
"Funny… he said the same thing about you."  
  
***  
  
"They were cute?" Secret had an interested eyebrow raised.  
  
"It was the lampshades." Snapper was blunt.  
  
The day drifted on and eventually, by afternoon, the entire team had assembled - everyone outside. Some by the pool, some on the lawn, some on the courts… Snapper and Secret sat on the back porch chatting aimlessly.  
  
On the lawn, Robin and Kon were pointlessly plucking grass and occasionally uttering the odd phrase. It was far too hot, conversation never really picking up. Finally, Kon made of the mistake of asking -  
  
"Who's faster - Flash or Impulse?"  
  
"We've been over this." Robin muttered, breaking twigs. "They're both about the same… though, as of late, I've been seriously debating whether EITHER is really the Fastest Man Alive… anyone on the Speed Force, in fact…"  
  
Kon blinked, then was annoyed - "What? Who the hell could be faster-"  
  
Robin motioned silently with his head across to the pool. There - dozing in a deckchair and special black and gold trunks, recharging as he soaked in the intense sunlight, lay The Ray.   
  
Those familiar with Kon's nature would not be at all surprised to learn his ego blazed and he started something. Before too very long the image and egos of all three heroes - Impulse, Kon and Ray - were absolutely burning in conflict. The only solution - a macho, testosterone trial. In short, a race. A race to determine the fastest man alive.   
  
***  
  
"My money's on Ray." Cassie whispered, as not to hurt Bart's feelings. "I mean, light's instant. You flick a light switch and it's there. You click a flashlight and it's there. No matter how great the distant light hits the first thing in its path instantly. INSTANTLY-"  
  
"And so does Impulse…" Anita disagreed. "I think they'll tie."   
  
"Remember when Superman raced Flash - neck and neck." Secret added.  
  
"That merely proves Ray's faster than both Impulse AND Kon." Robin shrugged. "If both Superman, Kon and Impulse are merely faster than a speeding bullet, they have no hope of beating a guy faster than the speed of light…"  
  
"Nah, nah, man…" Lobo cut in. "I've seen 'em. Bart and Ray - pals, eh. When they travel together - to battle, to the store - neck and neck. Plus, they raced the other day. They're STILL fighting over who won. That's why there being so pissy right now on the subject…"  
  
Robin looked thoughtful, "HM… I would have said Ray was merely being polite… had you not brought work into it. In an emergency speed is everything and etiquette be damned… and there is the matter of that race, for sure…"  
  
"Exactly. Tie." Anita concluded. Secret and Slobo agreed.  
  
Cassie and Robin, however, held out, and would have continued to argue their point, had Snapper not approached, a furious Kon-El in tow. Entering their midst and interrupting their debate, Snapper was Snapper - very sarcastic. "Did it ever dawn upon the magnificent council that perhaps this was a bad, nay, TERRIBLE idea?"  
  
Ignoring Snapper, Kon entered the casual fray - "Remember Zandia? Impulse NAILED Ray!"   
  
"They were neck and neck-" Lobo started to dispute.   
  
Kon interrupted, "Not then. When Impulse slammed him from here to-"  
  
"People." Snapper resumed order. "I repeat, this will do nothing save hurt feelings, shatter self-respect and burn down acres of-"  
  
"Point taken and disregarded." Kon bluntly broke formation, heading over to where Ray and Impulse were warming up, an air of aggressive ego hanging over them. "The race is on!" he boomed.  
  
Snapper rolled his eyes as the others followed, leaving him. Lord, Kon was immature… "Elections, races - what's with these kids?"  
  
***  
  
"Guys, you really don't have to do this…" Cass crossed her arms.  
  
"Seriously - you've got nothing to prove." Anita seconded.  
  
Kon rolled his eyes, ready to drop the flag, "Ignore them." Well planned pause and finally - "Then again, if either of you wishes to stand down… no dishonor."   
  
Silence.  
  
"Coz ya know… if either of you feels a little cold at the ankles… or a little yellow on the back… we'll all understand…"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Raymond?" Kon drew it out, challenging, mocking…   
  
Furious inside, Ray kept his smooth exterior up… a look of sheer determination as he slipped his golden helmet over his face. "I'm fine, Kon. You only want me to pull so YOU save face."  
  
Silence.  
  
Kon, obviously pissed, also tried to manifest coolness. "Whatever, man… We'll see who loses everything here, hm?"  
  
In a tough spot, Ray needed to save face - keep up his image - yet, at the same time, he knew he had everything to lose, while Kon had absolutely nothing on the line. For once, he had to credit the moron with some intelligence. This was going to be ugly. Very ugly.  
  
"Guys…" Cassie tried again. "Someone has to win and someone has to lose here, OK? And then if we race tomorrow the other might win - I mean, come on - what day of the week is it? It could go either way. Ray could say he wasn't fully charged, Impulse could say he had a cold, headache, flesh eating disease - WHATEVER - this is STUPID. No matter what the outcome someone's going to get hurt and no one will except the results anyway. Let's just-"  
  
"Sure, Cass, just make excuses for them." Kon muttered, then turned sharply to the pair. "First one to see her point is a coward."  
  
Ouch. The C word.   
  
"Bring it…" Teeth gritted, Ray was posed to start, deeply focused.  
  
"Fine. Just don't false start. I've no idea how we'd-"   
  
Snapper barged forward, interrupting Kon. "I need a moment with Ray…"  
  
"Oh PLEASE… well planned escape, RAYMOND…" In his face.  
  
"If you call me that one more-" Ray stood his ground, pissed.  
  
"Gentlemen." Snapper shoved between. "I seriously need to speak with Ray. You're little game can wait…"  
  
***  
  
"So what was so desperately important and unrealistically only involves ME?" Ray was skeptical, raising an eyebrow as he sat before Snapper's desk.   
  
"Ray… I have some very bad news…" Snapper was very, very serious.  
  
Surprised, Terrill blinked… then silence… finally, "What's wrong?"  
  
"Alright, alright. Kon's right. I'm just trying to stop the race."  
  
"SNAPPER." Ray stood. "I have to defend my-"  
  
"Stupid ego. Yes, I've noticed. You super heroes-"  
  
Ray was walking out.  
  
Actually pissed, "Ray! Listen to me, man! Of you and Kon I've been trying to reason with YOU. Why? Admittedly, we've always been able to talk, but that's not it. You were right on one count, man - you're the older, mature one. I hoped you'd be the bigger person and see the light. Pun absolutely intended. Stop being a jerk out there."  
  
A glare and nothing more.  
  
***  
  
"Here he comes…" Robin muttered, everyone still standing around.  
  
"Oh Hera…" Cassie trailed off. What was going to happen now?  
  
Kon was muttering… "If he's coming out with some excuse to-"  
  
"He was just trying to stall things. Let's do this." Ray was blunt, putting his helmet back on.   
  
The pair braced themselves and Kon-El started. "Ready… steady… on your mark… get set… GO!"  
  
The pair were off in flashes of fire and light just as Snapper jogged on sight, their lights casting over him - the indescribable expression of the sad spectator upon his face. Too late, he could do nothing but watch like the rest. They'd circle the globe one hundred times and the first back would be champ. Considering the milliseconds at stake there would most definitely be a photo finish…  
  
"I hope you're happy, Kon… this is ridiculous…" Cassie muttered.  
  
***  
  
Raging in light, Ray couldn't see a thing. He poured it on like never before though, knowing Impulse would do the very same. He desperately needed to win… he had to win… he just HAD to-  
  
As he fretted and raged, zinging through the air at the speed of light… new dynamics fell into play. Was it his emotions? His effort? Another phrase in his development? The extremely bright sun and extra energy it provided? His digestive track? A combination all the above, perhaps. Ray would never know… but somehow, as he raced harder and harder… he began to change, to transform.   
  
The very fabric of the universe seemed to change before his startled eyes. Existence was almost translucent for a moment, he was flying so unbelievably fast, then it all shifted into something else. Something biblically awesome and overwhelming. He would never, as long as he lived, be able to describe what he saw and felt… but it was-  
  
Terrifying.  
  
Frightened, Ray hit the brakes.   
  
Screeching to a dead stop and crashing into a very dense tree line… Ray lay painfully unconscious, dreaming of eternity…  
  
***  
  
Impulse hit the brakes too, only, at Young Justice Headquarters, the race over. Dragging his heels across the state… he managed to stop right before Kon-El. Very confused, his eyes were darting around. "What? Where-? Why did he-"  
  
"Bart wins." Kon-El smiled. Outside cocky, inside RELIEVED.  
  
"Why'd Ray stop?" Bart wasn't listening.  
  
"He choked?" Kon realized, thrilled. This was too good to be true.  
  
"I dunno. He just hit the brakes suddenly… Maybe he saw me pulling ahead and-"  
  
"You'd pulled ahead?" Kon interrupted. Better and better and-  
  
"I'm not sure. It's so hard to tell, I mean, we're-"  
  
"Regardless, he choked." Superboy crossed his arms, case closed.  
  
Silence.  
  
"I hope he's alright…" Secret's quiet voice came from the back.  
  
"Of course he's alright…" Kon continued, very smug. "And you know something, people, I would not be surprise if Ray Terrill never showed his face around here again. It's about time someone broke his-"  
  
"Oh PLEASE." Snapper turned and left. "I'm not listening to this…"  
  
***  
  
Darkness, gentle voices on the wind… singing… a very beautiful song danced sadly in the air, in the emptiness…  
  
"Inch worm… inch worm… measuring the marigolds… you and your arithmetic will probably do far…"  
  
Beautiful with a touch of gloom… the song whispered on and on…  
  
"Two and two are four… four and four are eight… eight and eight are sixteen… sixteen and sixteen are thirty two…"  
  
Ray's eyes fluttered gently, his dream dancing about his conscious… fading away into darkness and slumber…  
  
"Inch worm… inch worm… measuring the marigolds… won't you, please, just stop and see… how beautiful they are?"  
  
Awake, Ray realized he wasn't safe in bed. No, no. He definitely wasn't home safe in bed…  
  
"…Oh, never seem to stop and see how beautiful they are…"   
  
***  
  
Only a few members remained now, bored… vegetating wastefully across the furniture. Anita sat, head resting on her hand, in a recliner as though waiting for something she didn't care for. Kon and Cassie were on the couch… Kon smug and Cass somewhat anxious. Robin was across the room at the computer… oblivious to their-  
  
Snapper entered, "You kids still here?"  
  
"We could ask you the same question… only regarding the big picture." Robin spoke with casual indifference as he typed.  
  
"Not too big, unless you're threatening my life."   
  
"Medium then."  
  
"Huh?" Kon blinked.  
  
"Small being here tonight, medium being here working in general-"  
  
"Thank you, Robin. If Superboy can't follow the quips-"  
  
Kon was annoyed. "Oh, Snapper, you're just pissed coz your boy let ya down today - but hey, like he had a chance anyway, right? If you believed in him at all you wouldn't have tried to talk him out-"  
  
"I don't play favorites, kid." Snapper was blunt.   
  
Silence.  
  
Cassie finally spoke, clearly concerned. "Oh, Hera, where is that idiot? What if he stopped for some other reason, guys - like, let's say he-"  
  
"You're all still on THAT?" Robin blinked, pushing away from the keyboard. "People - it was this afternoon."  
  
"But-" Cassie started.  
  
"Honey, build me a bridge and get over it." Anita agreed, bored.  
  
"A team member is missing and-"  
  
"People always go missing 'round here, Cass - people join, quit, join, quit - stay, leave - come, go - why do you always fret like an old-"  
  
The glare silenced Kon instantly.  
  
Anita sighed, frustrated. "He'll probably show up tomorrow. He lost some serious face today, mon. He'll need some time to deal… though admittedly, I think he's being a real loser about the whole thing. I mean, hiding out overnight pouting about something that happened THIS AFTERNOON, spirits be praised… He needs to build a bridge and get over HIMSELF…"  
  
"Here, here…" Kon-El amusingly seconded.  
  
Snapper sighed, "You kids are hopeless…"  
  
Cassie's expression suddenly hardened. "You're absolutely right, Anita. Ray is being SUCH an ass over this. I… I thought he was a bigger person than this. I mean, I really, really respected him. Wanted him to join us and thought the world of him. GRRR… I respected him a lot, guys and now… NOW I'm seriously pissed. Maybe he SHOULDN'T come back."  
  
"Here, here…" Kon repeated.   
  
"Ah." Robin said simply, having resumed typing. "I see. You think highly of a person, their practically perfect to ya and then WHAM - they do something stupid that shows their human, shattering the pedestal you've put them on… Gotcha."  
  
"Robin." Cass was annoyed. "Let it go. I thought we'd dealt with-"  
  
"Sincerely. I hate it when people I respect let me down."  
  
"Sure." Cassie muttered, ticked. "Whatever."   
  
"Well, people…" Anita sensed a potential fight and glanced at her watch, lifting her duffle bag. "I should probably get going. It's late. Same time tomorrow?"  
  
Everyone muttered unintelligible, sounding tired and discontent.   
  
"Right, then. Night." She was out the door.   
  
***  
  
Entering the kitchen Kon-El did a serious double take. Bart had sat down to a breakfast table piled sky high - all sugary junk. "Holy crow caw, man - this is a binge even for YOU. What the hell's the matter?"  
  
Bart sighed, obviously depressed. "I just can't believe what happened yesterday… Ray-"  
  
"-let you down too? I know the feeling." Wonder Girl entered snarling.   
  
"No, no, quite the contrary…" Bart sighed. "I can't believe I let such a stupid thing come between us. I wasn't myself. I just got so caught up in my speed ego… I just… MAN, I was a total jerk…"  
  
"YOU weren't the jerk. Ray should'a been the bigger person." Kon insisted, taking a doughnut from the pile. Cassie glared and Kon wasn't entirely convinced he knew why.   
  
Robin entered, "Wow. Hershey meets Tim Horton's: A Breakfast Story."  
  
Superboy was blunt. "He's depressed coz idiot-box Light Bright was such an ass yesterday. I mean, PLEASE, people - it was YESTERDAY. Can we move on? As Ray himself would say: Cry me a river and row away on it!"  
  
"Hm, that was almost relevant, Kon." Cassidy remarked indifferently, opening the morning paper. "Almost, but not quite."  
  
"Oh… I use to love hearing him say that…" Bart's depression deepened. "…It was clever and original… he was always such a wit-"  
  
"What's with all the cheesy river imagery-" Robin started, but Bart interrupted, miserable…  
  
"I said: I use to love-"  
  
"Right, right. I get it, Bart. You're sad he's gone. You're sad you fought. There's nothing anyone can do about it now. Stop talking about the guy like he's in the past tense for Crocky's sake! We have more important things to worry about, OK?"  
  
"Like this outdoor concert!" Cassie was delighted, showing the paper.  
  
"NO, I was thinking more along the lines of saving the-"  
  
"-Senators. Ottawa's the capitol of the capitol of hockey, after all." Kon was now reading the sport's section. "By the way, Ray was absolutely NOT witty, Bart. Let go of that delusion. I think you're confusing him with episodes of your favourite shows again - only they aren't witty either."  
  
"There ya go. According to MY taste, Ray was witty." Bart was sad.   
  
"SIGH, people. I give up." Robin walked out.  
  
Bart actually sighed, burying another treat in his mouth… "I waited so long to be the guy's friend and I blew it…"  
  
"You both blew it. He's no saint." Cassie snorted, eyes on newsprint.   
  
Bart muttered, "I wonder where he is… and if he'll ever come back…"   
  
***  
  
Blinding colors blended, blurred by insanely humid heat. The haze seemed almost psychological somehow… like the vagueness of a vision. A dream. Then, in a shocking instant the world was intensely bright and beautiful. Vegetation… humidity… it was too warm, and yet so lovely…  
  
He was lying on a tropical forest floor. Wait - now that his eyes had focused… he realized he was actually within a jungle. A jungle like no other he'd ever experienced. Everything was larger than life. He'd never, ever even imagined tree trunks so tall and THICK… their roots stretched thick and endless in the earth, half-visible… ENORMOUS and natural - untouched by man, unseen by man… WOAH…   
  
A glorious gold and black butterfly fluttered down and landed delicately upon his limp, lifeless hand. He stared at it for quite some time, his mind blank - nothing within it save the beauty of the butterfly, magnificent and beyond reality. He absolutely adored it. He moved to touch it finally, but it was startled away, leaving him somewhat sad…   
  
Sighing, he lay sleepy and sore. It was too warm - was it his power or the actual climate? Seemed to be both… He felt feverish…  
  
A refreshing shadow fell over his face, the effect quite cooling. Enjoying it, Ray didn't immediately glance up. However, when he did… Lord above, he was looking into the face of…   
  
Something straight out of Jurassic Park.  
  
***  
  
Panting, trembling… sitting high in the rocky hills, Ray Terrill was trying to piece things together. Gratefully, the creature's uncharacteristic hesitation and his super speed had saved his life. What could it possibly have…? Trying to recall it exactly in detail, he figured it a Komodo Dragon.  
  
Still shaken, though he'd been through MUCH worse, Ray watched over the unique terrain. It was beautiful… yet, even up here it was far too warm. He was in the tropics for certain… LORDY, it was hot…  
  
The sleepiness slipping over him again… but knowing it wasn't safe to doze in unfamiliar terrain… he fought it for a moment - unfortunately, he began to slip in and out until-  
  
AH!   
  
Amazing green eyes open again, Ray felt something soft caressing his cheek. Something as beautifully gentle as butterfly wings…   
  
Oh wait…   
  
His waking start had also startled the butterfly. Another black and gold butterfly… they were fairly large with unique wing shape and swallow tails. Literally golden…  
  
Sighing with relief, the young man held out his hand. Gracefully, with slight hesitation, the magnificent mistress of flora landed upon it. Resting there it flexed its wings casually and then froze, soaking in the blazing sun. Ray did the same.   
  
Time seemed to drift carelessly-  
  
AH!  
  
A strange shriek, much like an attacked bird. Startled, Terrill was on his feet, the butterfly instantly gone, forgotten. He was ready for- He saw the indescribable shadow first… then heard the strange sound.   
  
It rounded the corner, egg in claws… tall, thin… shifty…  
  
It was one of those creepy egg eating dinosaurs.   
  
***  
  
"Where the hell am I? Dino Island?" Ray was furious, flying low over the plains, observing all the now obvious dinosaur herds. Heavens, that egg dinosaur had given him a fright. There was something so chilling about that type. Something-  
  
He had to get back to Young Justice Headquarters and inform them of this freakish place. Some super genius super villain had obviously been inspired by Jurassic Park and was now-  
  
***  
  
"Does this island never END?" Ray's frustration mounted. His sense of distance was totally disproportioned. Usually he could fly blind within light and know exactly when to start and stop… but… now… what on earth was going on?  
  
Discouraged, he landed within a desert region. His senses told him THIS was where YJ was to stand. He walked to the very spot his powers felt were the kitchen, the breakfast table… yet, found himself staring at nothing more than sand. He could just image Impulse there eating a mountain of doughnuts… yet there was nothing save sand… A hundred yards off stood a hideous, black and bubbling tar pit… that was the main room… Anita would have dropped her duffle bag there by the- GRRR… what was wrong with his powers? What had happened to him!?  
  
He zoomed on, landing where he felt Washington DC, USA was… then Ottawa, Canada… then London, England… and Madrid, Spain… etc… etc… Rome, Italy… He'd been to Coliseum a dozen times - where THE HELL was it!? Where was Big Ben, Lady Liberty - where was it all? Where was The Great Wall of China… Hadrian's Wall? There weren't even ruins! No, NO -he was just disoriented, just MESSED UP!  
  
Feeling his senses were off and his power damaged, he figured he hadn't even left the island yet. At a loss, he kept trying to escape the enormous mass of land… and occasionally he would… but only an enormous mass of water would follow. One land, one water repeatedly. One land, one water, one land, one - AH - what on God's green earth was THIS?!  
  
It took him several dozen spins around the world to finally accept it.  
  
Civilization didn't exist. The continents were one giant land mass.   
  
***  
  
Green eyes… intense, secretly fascinated green eyes… staring between the enormous, ancient gray-brown branches of a barky log… staring into the grassy clearing… Cautious, silent, hidden… only eyes revealed…  
  
The predator was silent. It didn't roar or shriek after the kill, as was expected. No… it only shrieked and shrilled when it actually needed to - intimidation or communication. It wasn't a savage, blood thirsty killer. No, it killed only now and then to eat. It was like an ancient, enormous wolf, really. Keeping the population in check, only praying upon the weak - strengthened the genes of other species. No deliberate cruelty. No murderous battle cry - it struck quick and silent. Like a lion… if it was seen coming, it abandoned all attempt.   
  
This was just nature. Nothing more. It was silent. It didn't roar to express its murderous power. It didn't see itself as king of the jungle. Nature was nature in 2003, 1003… at the birth of the very world…   
  
It had been in the water in a flash, upon the duck-billed herbivore. Ray had merely been relaxing among the rocks… listening to the beautiful calls of their sloping headpieces… their beautifully long and slender headpieces… curved and the source of countless splendid sounds… It had unexpectedly come and killed one. Was he sad? Of course. Unfortunately, it was the reality of nature. He ate beef and chicken.   
  
He watched it eat silently… little scavengers on the outskirts. Ignored, unless they proved too nervy, and even then they were only threatened with a half-heartened and near silent lung. For the most, however, the Rex ignored them as though they were invisible. Ray was reminded of wolves and ravens - lions and jackals, vultures… it was all the same…  
  
Majestic myth had built itself around this prehistoric pawn of nature…  
  
***  
  
Ray was surprisingly fond of the tubby, little thing - some form of ankylosaurus - still enormous, yet as dinosaurs went it seemed somewhat small… hm… It was a very interesting brown with occasional flashes of copper and bronze within its armor.   
  
It was so temperate. Quiet, indifferent to the world and all within it, even the grass it never ceased to munch. Munch was the only word for it. The sound was very present. It had gradually come to accept and ignore him as it accepted and ignored the invisibly itchy parasites upon its shell… Ray sat sometimes lazily upon the thick branches above it, or the rocks beside - occasionally even upon the grass nearby. He dared closer and closer each encounter, his secret hope to eventually touch it.  
  
It had no herd. Was its type meant to? He hadn't a clue as to the answer. He would visit it off and on… admiring its remarkable, unique protective gear. The powerful bone-spiked ball at the end of its powerful tail was especially impressive. Surely nothing could harm this creature. Even its underbelly was armored - more turtle than porcupine. It's head and neck were protected, for the most part its legs… hm… It's feet seemed thick and sturdy, though unprotected. Hm… much more impressive than the small headed stegosaurus, he'd decided. Probably smarter too… though admittedly, his indifferent friend did absolutely nothing to illustrate such. It munched without reaction to anything. ANYTHING. Cows at least- no, no, he loved it dearly. It was just relaxed, calm… confident… He loved it dearly, more than anything - latching on desperately without realizing.   
  
"Fused lizard"… that's what its name meant… but how had he known something as offhand as THAT? Hm… bones fused into armor…   
  
Throughout his tropical adventures, trying to solve the mystery of this new world and hopefully how to eventually escape it… Ray saw many frightful things. Many powerful, awesome things. Yet, constantly, he returned to the little dinosaur and therapeutically listened to it munch. Thinking, thinking…   
  
He was frightened of raptors. Well, what Jurassic Park had incorrectly called raptors. Their real name started with… D? Hm… No matter. They frightened him. They whipped about instantaneously, executing instant, brilliant and unspoken attack maneuvers. They slashed any size of creature dead instantly. Instantly - the very word surrounded the species. No other word could really sum them up as fittingly… HM… perhaps his new friend - as one sided as their affection was - could defeat the monsters. All of them. Their claws couldn't tear him and he'd surely kill them one after the other with good, hard blows. Simple blows of death…   
  
To see his creature actually live… to be provoked… to kill… wow…   
  
Actually, upon thought he realized they would probably blind it and eat its feet. Um, wait… nooo… Raymond, you silly. The reason the creature was so indifferent, so unchanging and passive was obvious. It had nothing to fear. Raptors wouldn't bother. No one would bother. In fact, he was probably the first animal to pay it mind at all within its entire existence. He eventually even named the simple creature. When he found his escape he'd gladly summon all his power to take it back with him. Screw altering history - screw it! He loved his friend dearly… or at least he thought he did… the mind forms crazy attachments when-  
  
None of this would ever come to pass, obviously. None of his immature delusions would ever come to pass. In truth, he would sit in the psychologically companionable atmosphere of the ankylosaurus and just downright deal. Whenever the true severity of his situation threatened to break the surface, as it did constantly, he would return to his special dinosaur and be subconsciously comforted. Coping… defense mechanisms - hey, Freud was onto something, people…   
  
The creature obviously moved around, but he could always eventually find it. It was always within the vicinity. He preferred to sleep by it. As silly as it sounded, the temperate little warrior somehow made him feel safe. Familiarity, attachment… armor… Defense mechanism.   
  
Unfortunately, the morning finally came when Ray awoke to find himself alone. His dinosaur gone. Vanished.  
  
Try as he might, he never found it again. Never saw it ever again. He would never solve the mystery…   
  
Truly alone now, with no way to cope, the severity slammed down…  
  
***  
  
"Wow!" the boy whispered to himself under the blanket, a very soft and special artificial light with him, barely touching the text. His eyes had adjusted years ago to working under the most slightest of illuminated conditions. "I had no idea so many dinosaurs started with A!" He hadn't even heard of 99% of them and he'd considered himself an expert… yikes…  
  
He talked to himself often, as he was always alone… it was dark as night in the room… however, the faint light managed to catch the corners of some large dinosaur posters upon the wall…  
  
The duckbills with the long, curved headpieces that supposedly played the most hauntingly beautiful music - the stuff of souls… Oh! His favourite, of course… the armadillo-like dinosaur… the small, armored fellow… my, he was cute… like a little pet… a companion…  
  
The boy, seven, was an excellent reader. His fingertips touched lightly upon the word "ankylosaurus" finally and he smiled…  
  
***  
  
Just as grass in a temperate little warrior's clearing could not last forever, nor could Ray's boyishly subconscious fascination with dinosaurs… it couldn't last and he was stranded, shocked, lost… totally trapped…  
  
Confused and tired, Ray sat brooding on a rock, a large herd of triceratops grazing nearby, behind him. He sat there… sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset… with the triceratops behind… just staring off, thinking. A calm, but bitchy expression his. The perfect black and gold butterflies would come and go carelessly, the only change in scene. One would land on his neck a while and then move on, another within his hair or beside him on the rocks. They would dance in pairs about him - he was silent, motionless - absolutely indifferent. He didn't even blink…  
  
Sunrise, sunset… sunrise, sunset… his expression and position virtually changeless and the triceratops forever in the backdrop… sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset, sunrise-  
  
Then finally…   
  
***  
  
The boy pushed the extremely thick and heavy text upon the dark kitchen table while his father-uncle folded laundry, a black silhouette against the very soft artificial light over the kitchen sink…  
  
"Guess what I'd call my ankylosaurus?"   
  
"Cleo?" the father figure guessed the most obvious and logical choice, sounding entirely indifferent as he folded another towel listlessly.   
  
"Noooo…" the small boy made a face of dislike.   
  
"Then what?"  
  
***  
  
He snapped.   
  
Walking calmly through the multiple herds of herbivores, Raymond blasted the ground randomly with fire - watching dinosaurs shriek and run, terrified, this way and that. Ray started calm, then was absolutely enraged - frustrated beyond belief. Blasting, shrieking, blasting -   
  
Finally, he came to the triceratops… and ladies and gentlemen, they were not so passive. As moody and intolerant as bulls or rhinoceroses, they were extremely provoked. In fact, they charged.  
  
Frightened - for though he'd braved many dangers, nothing was quite like having a large herd of triceratops unexpectedly come at you in murderous fury at close range…  
  
He took off in panic, taking cover within the rocks again, above their attack. The huffy roan creatures then began systematically striking the formation's base, their fury building and their blows hardening. Panting, Ray watched, waiting for when he'd have to burst away again…   
  
A distant, distracting rumble… the three horns stopped hesitantly, watching the horizon. Ray saw it. So faint and far away, yet enormous all the same, was a mountain. On the other side of the world, nearly faint as sky - yet gigantic and rumbling - stood a mountain. Horrible, extremely black smoke was now pouring from it. Then an unreal red-  
  
OH… MY… GOD…  
  
Startling crashes, like claps of thunder… the triceratops were so startled they ran for their lives… Ray, equally alarmed, fell from his rocky perch, landing hard. In agony, he felt the tremor in the earth strengthen… it wasn't ceasing… He dodged rocks - the rocks were coming down! The whole world was crashing down around him!  
  
A quake rippled through the mysterious cradle of life… and chaos consumed all in its wake…   
  
Terror, absolute unbridled terror - the splendid sky darkened and literally seemed to split in two… petrifaction, wild panic… utter confusion… the sky was falling… the sky was falling and it would cover the living and the dead alike in a suffocating cloak!   
  
The sky and land cracked - loud, SO LOUD - the shrieks, the running, the absolute PANIC… to be there, to see it… There was NO DOUBT…  
  
It was the end of the world.  
  
***  
  
Kon sighed, glancing through the latest TV Guide… "BORING…"  
  
Impulse, still depressed, was curled up in a chair nearby. "I wonder what Ray's doing…"  
  
"Sitting on his ass wondering what we're doing." Kon was blunt.  
  
***  
  
Panicked beyond all bounds of sanity, Raymond took off faster than ever before, faster than anything ever had before - the largest sonic wave known to man was coming, the smoke and poisoning cloak - it was all coming straight for him! Coming too fast! He had to outrun it, but he couldn't! It was just too- AH!   
  
Then it happened again. Just as before. Realities slid, colliding without colliding. He stared wide eyed into the beauty as he raced through translucent universe, less afraid. He felt different, changed - he felt like… nothing at all. Like air.   
  
Ray Terrill had truly become light… and raging forward faster than any mere light… Ray felt the world around him change again… he could almost hear voices… whispers echoing through eternity…  
  
He hit the brakes.  
  
***  
  
Frozen in shock, he found himself staring over a world that would have confused the Jetsons, if it didn't bring them to tears first. A monstrous place of smog, metal and hideously blunt technology - colorless and lacking any true life. No green. Nothing grew. Not a plant. Nothing breathed!   
  
Ray finally understood what was happening to him.   
  
This was the fate of man. If man still existed at all.  
  
***  
  
"…Miserably, you'll never see how beautiful they are…"   
  
*** 


	2. Happy When Skies Are Gray

DROP OF GOLDEN SUN  
Chapter Two: Happy When Skies Are Gray   
  
***  
  
DISCLAIMER:   
  
Young Justice is the property of DC Comics. As always, I quote material throughout my works - this chapter: Alan Bloch, Trooper and Our Lady Peace. I don't take any credit at all for the brilliance of others, ladies and gentleman. Wouldn't dream of it. ^_^  
  
A/N:   
  
This chapter's weird, but trust me - stick with it.   
  
I don't usually do this… but the OLP "Molly and Ray" secret song bit needs some explanation. It's hard to express in words, unfortunately. Ray's voice sounds almost as though he's speaking through a tube and Molly sounds slightly distorted with Ray's voice speaking in unison behind hers. The words "Molly" and "Ray" are randomly spoken in the background all the while in Ray's voice. (Ray here is obviously not YJ Ray. However, the theme and same name fit perfectly - how can I not use it?) ALSO, there's no inside information (as far as I know) to the bit. You're just meant to hear/read it and make your own assumptions. Creepy, futuristic music is always present, though sometimes it rises to the foreground. There. Hope this helps. Again, no connection to YJ - Our Lady Peace secret song from Spiritual Machines.  
  
Thanks! Reviews always appreciated!   
  
***  
  
"Will Kon's porno obsession be exposed? Will Cassidy and Slobo FINALLY get together? And what happened to that other guy... Roy? Find out this time tomorrow on... Super Vi-"  
  
Cassie, furious, turned off the television. "ACE! First off, my name's Cassandra, NOT Cassidy! Second, SLOBO?! Get real! I-"  
  
"Cassidy, Cassidy…" Ace started, mock-soothing charm.  
  
"CASSANDRA!"  
  
"Cassidy's better." The smiling blond didn't miss a beat.   
  
Scowling, Cassie was interrupted by Impulse - "What about the rest of us? I think my issues with Arrowette are WAY more important than Kon's obvious porno problem and a FICTIONAL thing between Cassie and-"  
  
"Details, details…" Ace gave an indifferent, dismissing gesture that matched his tone, cell phone to his face.   
  
***  
  
[Eerie music, futuristic feel]   
Ray: Anyway, you do look amazing.  
(Molly)  
Molly: You say that every time we meet.  
(Ray)  
R: I mean, you look twenty again, only more beautiful than at the start of the book…  
(Molly)  
M: I know that's how you'd want me.  
(Ray)  
R: Ok, you were an attractive young woman when I first met you… and you still project yourself as a beautiful young woman… at least when I'm with you…  
(Molly)  
M: Thanks.  
(Ray)  
[Later in discussion]  
R: Are you saying your a machine now?  
(Molly)  
M: A machine? That's really not for me to say. It's like asking if I'm brilliant or inspiring…  
(Ray)  
R: I guess the word "machine" in 2099 doesn't have quite the same connotations as it does here in 1999.   
(Molly)  
M: It's hard for me to recall now…  
[Music again]  
(Molly)  
M: I'm really just dabbling, but creating music is a great way for me to stay close with Jeremy and Emily.  
(Ray)  
R: Creating music sounds like a good thing to do with your kids, even if they are almost 90 years old - so, can I hear it?  
M: Well, I'm afraid you wouldn't understand it.  
R: So, it requires enhancement to understand?  
(Molly)  
M: Yes, most art does. For starters, there are symphonies and frequencies that a mosh can't hear and it has too fast a tempo and it uses musical structures a mosh could never follow.  
R: Can't you create art for non-orgmantic humans - I mean, there's still a lot of depth possible. Consider Beethoven… he wrote almost two centuries ago and we still find his music exhilarating.   
(Molly)  
M: Yes, there's a genre of music - all the arts, actually - where we create music and art that a mosh is capable of understanding.  
(Ray)  
R: Then you play mosh music for moshs?   
(Molly)  
M: Hm - now there's an interesting idea… I suppose we could try that… although moshs aren't all that easy to find anymore. It's really not necessary though - we can certainly understand what a mosh is capable of understanding. The point, though, is to use the mosh limitations as an added constraint.  
R: Sort of like composing new music for old instruments.  
(Molly)  
M: Ya… new music for old minds…  
[More music]  
(Ray)  
R: Maybe we should kiss goodbye…  
(Molly)  
M: Just a kiss?  
(Ray)  
R: We'll leave it at that for this book… I'll reconsider the ending for the movie…  
(Molly)  
M: Here's my kiss - now remember… I'm ready to do anything or be anything you want or need…   
R: I'll keep that in mind…  
(Molly)  
That's where you'll find me.  
(Ray)  
R: Too bad I have to wait a century to meet you.   
M: Or to be me…  
(Ray)  
R: Yes, that too…   
[Pause]  
R: Actually, Molly… there are a few other questions that have just occurred to me… What were those limitations you referred to? … What did you say you were anxious about? … What are you afraid of? … Do you feel pain? … What about babies… and children?   
[Pause]  
R: Molly?  
  
- Secret Song from Spiritual Machines, Our Lady Peace (1999)  
  
***  
  
Hazy, miserably feverish haze… overwhelming…   
  
"I had a friend once… but I don't know where he went…"  
  
Delirious… hearing voices… half dreaming…   
  
"He just wasn't there anymore - inside. Where did he go?"  
  
Burning… dizzy… overwhelming…   
  
"I just couldn't get him started again. Couldn't turn him back on."  
  
***  
  
Ray stood frozen, the metallic and deathly sharp needle just touching his throat… now remembering a very short space science fiction by Alan Bloch. A robot befriends a man only to accidentally kill him without even realizing so, ignorant of the difference between man and machine. After all, what would a robot understand of death? What would be the robotic perspective of such an occurrence? "I just couldn't get him started again. Couldn't turn him back on…" Or maybe…   
  
OW!   
  
Needle to his neck, the creature's gold-gray gaze drilling intensely into his own and Ray realized to his horror… a robot could never understand mortality - the awing concept of life and death. How could it value life if death didn't exist for it? It was micro millimeters from ending his existence and probably didn't even realize.   
  
As for the creature itself, it was indescribable. No concept existing in 2003 could explain such an appearance - such a foreign, futuristically metallic appearance. It wasn't human, but it wasn't necessarily a robot or cyborg either. It was… something absolutely unknown. Hundreds of thousands of years had to pass before something of the sort was even imaginable. How could he ever hope to describe it? From what served as its hand had instantly and alarmingly shot the needle, aimed at his jugular.   
  
After further intense silence, the creature made some indescribable sounds. At least they seemed to come from somewhere within the creature… Oh GOD. If it was trying to communicate he was absolutely screwed. Silence and then the sound continued, impossible to describe but static-filled. Was that futuristic static?   
  
Suddenly, strange new sounds from somewhere else. Risking a glance out the corner of his striking green eyes, Ray could just make out a second being, slightly different, fumbling with something unrecognizable by 21st century standards. It appeared to be… scanning him? Not like Star Trek or anything of the sort… but the concept was somehow there. Static noises between the pair now. Though there was absolutely no way to judge their tones or expressions, as both were foreign to him, Ray sensed they were perplexed. And rightly so. HE was probably equally foreign. Oh LORD…  
  
"Fhk yqpx bks?" the second creature seemed to patch into some linguistic technology and attempt to speak to him. It almost sounded like human speech, though it was no language or pronunciation of which Terrill was familiar. In truth, there were no characters, no phonics, for such sounds. What would such a written language look like? It was so outrageously guttural. He had no HOPE of imitating such-  
  
His silence indicated they should trial and error further, a new language coming from the creature - "Pepin kaley quaxer bo?   
  
Closer. He could at least repeat that, minus the accent.   
  
Another attempt - this one sounding almost Spanish!   
  
Ray tried to respond, repeating a few Spanish words he remembered randomly.   
  
Perplexed further. Oh crap. Now they'd experiment with Spanish instead of finding English. Oh GOD, his life was hanging in the balance and he was grasping for straws through a language he couldn't even remember. AH.  
  
They tried a few more languages, one that sounded nearly French - well, not French in word, but French in accent - and he was certain to stay silent. Finally, they touched on something he almost understood - "Kut kar ku?"  
  
It almost sounded…  
  
"Kut kar ku? Kare kid ku kum krum?"  
  
Ray's frightened, very uncertain glance kept passing back and forth between the two creatures, his eyes all that dared to move. The needle was so incredibly close to his throat and more pressure seemed to be applied every instant - in fact, it was honestly starting to hurt beyond tolerance!   
  
"Kut kar ku? Kow kar ku kere? Kare kar ku krum?"  
  
"Kut kar ku kade kuv?" the original creature suddenly interjected.   
  
Staring… gaze never breaking… so intense…  
  
The needle creature unmercifully applied pressure as the other repeated, slow and hard, pronouncing every syllable firmly - "Kut kar ku?"  
  
Ray understood. He actually understood. The static slapped a very hard edge on the first syllable of each and every word… but… it was 21st century English.  
  
"I'm organic." He answered instantly, not knowing where the words came from. Organic? It was hopeless! How could possibly explain his composition to these-  
  
"Krorganic?" the first repeated as the pair exchanged expressions. They were obviously unfamiliar with the term. Or perhaps they were merely surprised… yes, they seemed extremely confused about his presence, not his make-up… It was all coming together…  
  
Needle still pressing, Ray eventually managed to convey himself as a creature of mythology, as that was all organic life was to these metallic beings of the future - mythology…   
  
Eventually, they judged him harmless and dropped their guard, leading him somewhere. Greatly relieved, Ray followed, thinking. His powers were low… Glancing up into the sky he noted the sheer gray and frowned, "Where's the sun?"  
  
The creatures froze and exchanged glances before searching their inner databases for an answer, for they were unfamiliar with the term. By the 17th cross reference, Ray's heart had bottomed out… They were both speaking English now… what was the problem? Where was the sun?  
  
Finally, one of the creatures answered, explaining they could find no reference whatsoever of the word 'SUN'… Ray tried to describe the concept, deciding they must have a new word for the sustaining of all life… unfortunately, they just couldn't understand. They couldn't grasp the concept of outer space at all, frighteningly. It chilled Ray to the marrow.   
  
No sun… no powers.  
  
He was stranded in the horrific future!  
  
***  
  
"Will Impulse's anorexia be exposed? Will Secret and Slobo FINALLY get together? And does anyone even REMEMBER… Roy? Stay tuned-"  
  
"AHHH!" Cassie smashed the remote unexpectedly, startling Anita.  
  
Ace entered the room on his cell with an angry Impulse in tow, "Hey, kid…" the executive was countering indifferently, "…You wanted air time and now you've got it. I don't see the pr-"  
  
"But it's NOT TRUE!" Impulse seethed. "I wanted-"  
  
"I thought *I* was with Slobo!" Cassie interrupted, also furious.  
  
"HEY!" Anita was instantly defensive. "You hated that, Cass! I-"   
  
"That's not the point, 'Nita! Now the world thinks Slobo tossed me over for Secret! It's the principal of the thing! The principal!"   
  
"Who the hell is Roy?" Kon entered the room yawning.  
  
***  
  
Deep inside he'd suspected all along. He'd time traveled once before… this had felt similar, though by no means at all the same. Sitting amongst the butterflies and triceratops he'd been forced to final admit he'd time traveled again and that there would be serious repercussions. He was ALWAYS… SCREWING… UP… ERR! The frustration of being trapped in the past and of screwing up yet again in a world of power and egos… it was easy to follow his blasting fury amongst the grazing herds…   
  
Now Terrill found himself futilely trying to explain the sun to two strange metallic beings from the future. Beautiful. Just absolutely beyond sarcastically BEAUTIFUL.  
  
Eventually the pair tired of his nonsense and drew matching scanners… strange sounds followed - futuristic beeping, perhaps? The scan was very warm to the eyes and after a moment Ray's retinas began to burn. Grimacing, eyes closed tightly, he waited the pain out. It seemed some form of… lie detector…   
  
The pair turned to one another and began to speak back and forth in their static-filled native tongue. Alarmed, they were definitely alarmed. What was-  
  
They sat down abruptly, most unexpected, and produced new devices, equally small and with equally new sounds. Something about their body language reminded him uncomfortably of overeager reporters taking notes. Obviously prepared now, the pair glanced up at him. His role was obvious… Terrill sat down and awaited their questions…  
  
***  
  
"Rent Fear" feels like indigestion. In your EYES. I stood there for like a week. Listening to the ghosts. In a corner, a recon patrol of cockroaches snapped photos and took notes. And I swear that ugly sculpture blinked. I forgot to ask if anyone had been murdered there."  
- Ray Terrill on his first moments in his first apartment, Ray # 1 (1994)   
  
***   
  
Ten minutes of the most simple, primitive questions passed and Ray was now oblivious to their harsh static. He focused solely on the English and heard nothing else save it. Unfortunately, he was still having great troubles explaining the concept of space - an existence beyond what they knew as, in English, "The Gray". They knew nothing of atmosphere - no stars, moons, orbits - they knew nothing of the composition of the universe!   
  
Sighing, Terrill listened to their endless technological sounds and wondered how artificial intelligence could be so damn unintelligent. He instantly scolded himself, however - remembering firstly that he didn't know anything about these creatures and secondly that the fictional Sherlock Holmes knew nothing of the solar system either. He'd been a strong believer that there was only so much room in one's memory and he had to prioritize. Planets weren't as important as every single syllable of Chemistry and Forensics, for example. According to the famous detective… every time one learns something new… they push out something old. Each kept fact erases something precious from childhood.   
  
Staring up into the gray again, he was reminded of a very overcast afternoon… or a stormy evening… or - suddenly, the answer occurred to him.   
  
"It's pollution, isn't it?" he asked carelessly, eyes up.  
  
The pair stopped beeping and began to cross reference the word 'POLLUTION'… a mere instant and they had an answer. "No, we know pollution. We make it, but we destroy it."  
  
The second added, "Mythological characters were constantly plagued by pollution. We, however, have conquered it."   
  
Then what the hell WAS it?  
  
Ray sighed again, deciding to change the subject - the last thing he wanted to hear was how glorious this time was compared to his own, especially when he disagreed. This lifelessly gray world of neutral metals was just miserable. The air was heavy too. Twenty minutes and he was desperate for home…  
  
The very first question he'd asked when he'd happened upon the two beings was obviously the date. Later it was established they knew nothing of time. They didn't keep track. As for everything else - the composition of creation had probably changed so outrageously that his primitive mind couldn't grasp it. Hell, try dropping a Neanderthal before a computer! Ray's head was aching already…  
  
Well, if they couldn't answer WHEN, maybe… just maybe…   
  
"Where are we exactly?"   
  
Hesitation. "We cannot translate." The second answered.  
  
"Oh." Great. Another set of static sounds he couldn't repeat.   
  
Sincerely, seriously - "To pronounce it we'd have to rip out your tongue." Pause. "That is a tongue, isn't it?"   
  
AH. Ray felt a pang of terror in his chest. It was shockingly the SECOND half of the statement that bothered him. The question. Creepy - utterly, utterly CREEPY… chilling!  
  
Terrill took a long pause to collect himself and then asked, "If I run a few names by you… could you reference them and compare their location with your myth-"  
  
They instantly understood, interrupting and preparing.   
  
"Um, America. North America. South America. Central-"  
  
"Spelling?"  
  
"A-M-E-R-I-C-A… Now, try-"  
  
They interrupted with the bleeps and beeps again, working furiously to cross reference.   
  
Finally, "Nothing. Sorry."  
  
"Europe. E-U-"  
  
"You-rup? We know You-rup." The first interrupted.  
  
"You do?" Ray almost smiled.  
  
"Yes, You-rup is often mentioned in myths. However, Afreek is the main-"  
  
"Africa?"   
  
"Afreek. Where life supposedly started…"  
  
"It did! I mean, that's true!" Ray was growing excited.   
  
"Afreek is of the second world and You-rup… no one knows where that was."   
  
Ray's smile froze on his face, confused, "Um… what?"  
  
The first creature began to repeat the exact phrase again, but Terrill interrupted - "No, no, no! What's this about a second world?"  
  
"Some debate You-rup is among the ruins of the third wor-"  
  
"Oh! The third world countries, second world countries… oh, right…" Ray was relieved, having been very thrown for a moment.   
  
"Countries?"   
  
"How we divided territory. We had over a hundred."  
  
"We call our territories 'worlds' and have only three. However did you divide YOUR worlds? A hundred? You couldn't possibly have divided with The Gray as we have. The world cannot be rejoined, we know this for certain. Even with a hundred little worlds… surely the chaos-"  
  
"Wait, wait, wait - what are you- the SKY? You divided your nations with SKY?"  
  
"We divide with The Gray." The first motioned to the overcast sky.   
  
"Woah… woah… WOAH…" Ray paled instantly, heart racing.   
  
The second, seeing Ray's extreme confusion and fear, began to sketch upon the rock beneath them. (Ray had long since discovered their was no soil or anything organic AT ALL in the future. By 21st century standards it was absolutely horrible.)   
  
"Woah…" Ray interrupted the sketch. "What's this, man? Is this SPACE, like AIR, between these masses of land?"  
  
"It's The Gray…"  
  
"So, these worlds float separately-"  
  
"Float?"   
  
"Um…" Ray pointed to the sky. "That. That up there is between your worlds?"  
  
"It was once, yes. The Gray."  
  
The first interjected, "They did not last long in such a state. The smaller worlds are gone now. Lost in The Gray."   
  
Silence. "OH MY GOD. What the hell happened to the Earth?"  
  
Hesitation, "Earth? … Could you spell that?"  
  
***  
  
"Will Anita's foot fetish finally be exposed? Will Kon and Slobo FINALLY get together? Will Mr. Sarcastic ever contribute anything to this show aside the obvious? Oh, and you can forget Roy… they don't even recognize the name anymore, folks…"  
  
The television instantly cut to Kon yawning, "Who the hell is Roy?"  
  
Snapper had SUCH a headache. "It's just one ploy after another with these people. We can't say anything without them manipulating and - OY, I'd better shut up… they'll just find a way to use THIS sentence against us…" Hesitation. "Oh, but incidentally, girls… I don't care WHAT Ace says… Ray's way better than ROY…"   
  
"I thought Ace promised we could see each episode before it aired… I thought there'd be some control…" Anita sighed, frustrated.   
  
"Nah, I read the fine print of your contracts, kids…" Snapper was blunt.  
  
"And?" Slobo prompted from the couch, reading a paper.   
  
"To be frank - you're totally screwed. You kids haven't a legal leg to stand on…"  
  
"But, he said-" Cassie started to protest.  
  
"You should have got it in writing. Verbal agreements aren't binding, honey. Ace took advantage of your naive sense of business and now-"  
  
"We have to end this stupid show! We have to protect our privacy! If only we could find some technicality… some loop…" Anita was thinking. "…or even catch Ace breaking his end of the-"   
  
Slobo pointed to the television screen without looking up, ten seconds behind Anita Fite was on the screen suddenly speaking - "We have to end this stupid show! We have to protect our privacy!"   
  
Suddenly, the mystery narrator kicked in again, "It seems the team has something to hide! Something they don't want YOU to see. Tune in this time tomorrow to find out exactly what that is… on… Super Vision!"  
  
"ERRRRR…" a collective response.   
  
Cassie, beyond angry - "Who's voice is that?"  
  
***  
  
A strange, sleepy haze… deju vu… a needle… pain… Feverish haze… drifting in and out… distant voices, pressure on his throat… drifting…   
  
"Something's wrong with him…" the second stated simply, as the youth's condition was obvious. "His flesh is discolored - reddening - and he's clearly overheating. In fact, AH, look there!" He motioned to Ray's temple. Blood trickled from a gash unnoticed by Terrill. "He leaks discolored fuel."   
  
"Red like his flesh. We'll have to-"  
  
"And there - clear! Clear fluid leaking from his flesh. I've never seen clear fluid! Terrifying!" The second interrupted, motioning to the gentle perspiration on the young man's anxious face. Anxiety. Great, torturous anxiety and they were aware of it.   
  
"He's barely operating… he can't function…"  
  
Simply - "We'll have to shut him down for observation."  
  
"NO!" Ray fought through the drifting haze to protest. Alan Bloch. Alan Bloch!   
  
Unfamiliar with emotion and extremes, the pair were taken completely aback. "Volume control shot. Locomotion and comprehension shot. Spasms. A major malfunction. Immediate shut down is-"  
  
"No…" Ray calmed instantly, though his voice was very strained, his expression desperate, feverish. "Please, if you shut me down I won't start up again - I'm telling you, I'm not-" The pair were suddenly pinning him down - "NO!!!"  
  
He struggled, both hands struggling against the murderous needle. "I don't shut down! I-"  
  
They were easily about to overpower him…  
  
"Men are different! No, please - men are different!"  
  
***  
  
"It was on my last field trip, to one of the inner planets, that I met the Man. He must have been the last Man in the system, for he'd forgotten how to talk - he'd been alone so long. Once he learned our language we got along fine together, and I planned to bring him back with me. Something happened to him, though… One day, for no reason at all, he complained of the heat. I checked his temperature and decided his thermostat circuits were shot. I had a kit of field spares with me, and he was obviously out of order, so I went to work. I turned him off without any trouble… he stopped moving, just like a Robot. But when I opened him up he wasn't the same inside at all. And when I put him back together I couldn't get him running again. Then he sort of weathered away - and by the time I was ready to come home, about a year later, there was nothing left but bones…"  
- Men Are Different, Alan Bloch   
  
***  
  
This time Ray Terrill woke with a frightened start. Wow. Rubbing his eyes, he groggily reflected upon his nightmare. Every aspect of it… beginning with the Race and ending with the scary robots from the fut-  
  
Oh.  
  
Hands from his eyes, Ray realizing the pair of metallic creatures were still present, staring at him intensely.   
  
What was reality?  
  
"Sleep." The first commented quietly. "Was it sleep?"  
  
"Where am I?" Ray realized they were no longer outside.   
  
"Your eyes were moving so rapidly… all about…" the second commented, equally quiet. "You seemed distraught. Myths described sleep as refreshing… pleasant…"   
  
"… like recharging…" the first added, staring intensely.   
  
"I was dreaming." Ray was very uncomfortable. Had he been dreaming? Had he really been shut down? How-  
  
"Dreaming?" the pair were, as always, somehow deadpan with interest.   
  
"Yes, I… um… you didn't try and shut me down, did you?"  
  
The pair communicated a moment and then answered collectively, "Of course."  
  
"I… how am I still alive?"  
  
"Alive?"  
  
The deepest of all concepts.  
  
"Never mind… Um… how did you shut me down?"  
  
"We put you to…" the second hesitated and then tried the word, "…sleep."  
  
"Ah." His memories of Alan Bloch's take on robot versus man had tainted his perspective of the previous situation. He'd assumed incorrectly, remembering the story. Life was like that. Our experiences mold our perspective. Had he not read that short story he-   
  
"You'll have to forgive us, stranger. Getting you inside was the priority, yet, as scholars, we allowed our thirst for knowledge to dominate our sense of morality."  
  
Morality? What the hell would a machine know of morality? Probably the way they understood everything else - conclusions based on fact. WAIT - what? What had he just said? Leaving outside was somehow… immoral? What? Ray could say nothing, extremely confused.   
  
"Now, please…" the first drew its recording device. "If we may continue with the transfer of information…"  
  
"Oh… yes…" Ray tried to remember where to resume, yet, the end of their previous conversation was all a blur. A hazy, feverish blur. "Um…"  
  
"You were attempting to explain 'ORBITS' and 'GRAVITY'…"  
  
"No…" the first disagreed. "He was describing 'PLANTS' and 'ANIMALS'…"   
  
"Actually…" Ray sensed their deception and personal conflict. "I was attempting to determine exactly how our three worlds-"  
  
"Please stranger, tell us of 'WATER'…" the first interrupted.  
  
"You confuse us… redefine-"  
  
"Um, listen - back to 'SUN' - have you ever wondered where your light comes from? I mean, what is The Gray? It's surely smog that the sun can JUST get through enough to - in fact, the reason its so ungodly hot around here is simple. The smog traps the heat against the earth - greenhouse affect, perhaps. I don't know."  
  
"No, no - orbits, tell us of orbits and-"  
  
"And more animals… you left off at elephant…"  
  
"I don't remember defining elephant. I thought I stopped at-"  
  
"PLEASE… orbits…"  
  
Ray sighed, head hurting, "Look, can you cross reference Sir Isaac Newton or something, GEEZ - I've only got home schooled high school science behind me here, guys - like I understand this stuff enough to actually-"  
  
"What?" they were lost now.  
  
"What is a Sir-"  
  
"A person. Credited with scientific discoveries about orbits."  
  
"One?" the pair were very confused. "You want us to cross reference one?"  
  
"One what?"  
  
"Being."  
  
"You can't do that?"  
  
"Of course not. Just one?"  
  
"Um… you don't have individual records? I mean, you're scholars - you don't keep track of who discovers what?"  
  
The pair were as flabbergasted as emotionless droids can convey, the concept of individuality foreign.  
  
"What's wrong?" Ray didn't like their expressions.   
  
"Individual? How do you spell-"  
  
"OK. What the hell…" Ray started, pushing his chair back, beginning to understand and not liking. Creepy, very creepy. "You mean to tell me, you don't keep track of individuals? You don't have personal data? You don't-"  
  
"Individual. What is-"   
  
"Separate. Separate!"   
  
Eyes wide. "Separate? That's impossible."  
  
"OH MY GOD - you're a collective." Another chilling blow.   
  
Silence, then… "Collective?"  
  
"You're all ONE. You're-"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Ray's heart involuntarily sped up again. If this was somehow a much later phase of human evolution - Oh LORD, how he negatively associated collectives with the likes of The Borg from Star Trek. OH GOD!   
  
Silence again, finally - "You are not of a collective?"   
  
He stared at them… realizing everything they thought about him, all the cross references, all the questions and answers - all the other creatures within the collective had experienced themselves as though they were present. It was terrifying. Mindless, collective creatures!   
  
"Creature!" the first repeated, "You are not of a collective?"  
  
Ray forced an answer out, wondering how many could hear it… "No."  
  
The pair began to converse futuristically again and the desperately confused and escalatingly panicked Terrill interrupted, snapping - "NO, stop that - what are you saying? Are you speaking to the entire collective? What are you going to do with me? DAMMIT - tell me what you're saying!"  
  
Hesitation, then, "If this is so, we were debating whether or not to take you to The Garden when the time comes."  
  
"Oh Lord…" Ray muttered, rubbing his face. He was more lost by the instant. This was absolutely hopeless.   
  
Silence, "Please, tell us of Sir Isaac Newton. Time grows very short."  
  
"Was he your leader? Non-collectives have leaders…" the first added.  
  
"No. He wasn't my leader. Each territory had a different leader and typically a group of leaders under them, um, a government… and that changed periodically…"  
  
"But… Sir Isaac Newton?"   
  
Ray sighed, glancing up, "It doesn't matter."  
  
"All information matters. Teach us. You're a primary source, the first in centuries!"  
  
Ray froze, then - "Other people have time traveled here?"  
  
Confused. "People have visited from others times. Yes. Very, very rarely, however. We personally have not seen one in a very long time… the longest of times…"  
  
"Mythology used words like 'CENTURY'… we do not keep time…"   
  
"Woah. Confusion. 'WE' the collective or 'WE' you two? Wait, WHAT? How long have you creatures existed? You really don't die, do you? You-"  
  
"Die?"  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"We do not keep time."  
  
"Guess! A century is 100 years. A year is 365 days. A day is 24-"  
  
"You confuse us…"  
  
Silence. Thinking. Ray wiped his brow suddenly, "It's so hot in here…"  
  
"Please, Sir Isaac-"  
  
"Forget him!" Ray was frustrated. "Look, damn it! I wanna know how long you people have existed! How long has The Gray been there? When did the world break apart!?"  
  
"What is years?"   
  
"And hours? And days?"  
  
"Clarify, please."  
  
"You… you want me to define TIME? How can a person define-"  
  
"Clarify, please! As a source you are becoming questionable-"  
  
"HIGH… SCHOOL… SCIENCE!"  
  
"Clarify!"  
  
Scowling and overheated, Ray resumed, "Look… you were probably struck my a meteor… that's all I can fathom…"   
  
"Meteor?"   
  
"Could you perhaps create a diagram?"  
  
"And what of 'HOURS'… and 'DAYS'… please define, clarify…"  
  
"Why don't YOU answer some of MY questions!? There's so many of you brilliant machines in there! Your damn collective can't even explain its origins! Where did you come from? What are you made of, hm? Asking me all this crap when-"   
  
"Yes, yes, so you've said. Please… more knowledge…"  
  
"Try not to repeat yourself, time is so very short…"  
  
Overheated, furious - "TIME? You know nothing of time, pal! I…"  
  
"Please, time is short. More information!"  
  
Ray stopped, "Why? You keep saying that. Why is time short? Why-"  
  
The first interrupts, "Tell us of plants and animals… tell us of…"  
  
The voice began to blur and drift away, the room becoming warmer than ever - a warm, sleepy haze overcoming the young man again. The heat had built and now a fever was breaking.   
  
"I… I like toucans…" he admitted, though he liked many other animals equally well, but was clearly drifting into delirium.   
  
"Toucans?" the first repeated.   
  
"I love toucans." Ray corrected, drifting. "Small. Cute. Extremely… cute…"  
  
"He's been taken." The second was almost grim.   
  
"But-" the first tried.  
  
"The time has come…" the second spoke solemnly.   
  
"Surely one more question…" his partner countered.   
  
"The time has-"  
  
"Toucans are tough to explain, anyway…" Ray was drifting.   
  
They were suddenly lifting him, guiding him - walking outside… Hitting the atmosphere, he noticed how thick and heavy the air actually was. Coughing, he hacked disgusting grayish guck into his hand, though he scarcely noticed.   
  
After several moments and many hacking fits, Ray dropped to his knees as the pair motioned down into a large, rocky valley. "The Garden."  
  
Ray's vision was horribly blurred. He could see nothing now. Gray, painful gray…  
  
"The time comes quickly. We'll have to carry him down. Come, hurry, we must take him to his people…"  
  
Ray tried to speak, but no intelligible sounds made it out.  
  
Dropped again in the valley below, short moments later, Terrill struggled to focus his vision. He froze in absolutely HORROR.  
  
His people.  
  
***  
  
"You know, guys…" Ace flopped down on the couch between Secret and Empress, the entire team present, "I was just thinking…"  
  
Collective groan.   
  
"No seriously, kids. We should consider challenges, you know, like all the other shows of this genre…"  
  
"The OTHER shows?" Kon raised an eyebrow negatively, picturing himself running around an obstacle course with coconuts with the rest of the Super Tribe encouraging him loudly, desperately. Kon, the tribe has spoken. OY. Or better yet, passing cockroaches from his mouth to Robin's on Fear Factor… EW…  
  
"Oh ya…" Robin was currently Mr. Sarcastic, "I can just see us eating animal organs and making alliances…"   
  
"I was thinking we'd pair you off… male and female…" Ace's hands were outstretched as though he were a visionary.   
  
"Here we go…" Cassie folded her arms.  
  
"Only… let's see… we'd need to call the Olympic champ to even the numbers… Good thing Roy left… This just might work! Now-"  
  
"There's NO WAY Arrowette would ever agree to-" Cassie started, angry.  
  
"Already calling…" Ace responded pleasantly, phone to his ear.  
  
***  
  
His people.  
  
Hundreds of dark gray, once-living statues conveying sheer terror as they were blanketed in ashy death… like Pompeii… His heart raced as he tried to stand, his legs giving out instantly and sending him crashing down hard on his trembling knees. OH… MY… GOD…  
  
"Your people. We knew you'd want to be with them when your time came."  
  
"We may understand very little of sentimental value, but we've tried. We've tried for you and we've tried for all the other strangers. You, like they, have been brought home to your people for your time. We understand information. We can reach conclusions based upon fact. Even mythological fact."  
  
Ray couldn't speak. He just couldn't speak. Hacking deeply, much more of the gray guck, mixed with a painful twinge of blood, was forced out onto the rocky gray ground…  
  
YES… the ground… the statues… the atmosphere… even the dust settling on the creatures, settling in his clothing… it was all the same shade of miserable dark gray…  
  
"There were once thousands of gardens…" the second commented quietly. "Unfortunately, like all ruins, they eventually wasted away. Were destroyed one way or another. Here survives the last garden… and the remains of your people…"  
  
"There were so many of you… so many… such a large collective. What a glorious world you must have known, creature. How you must have evolved and progressed. We crawl at a snails pace… creating ourselves and recreating ourselves, evolution… if you will…"  
  
"The Gray destroyed them." The second commented… almost sadly…   
  
Ray understood. Somehow when the fiery earth split apart - perhaps a meteor, perhaps an earthquake of unimaginable power - nothing has survived save the artificial intelligence… and The Gray… the gray wasn't smog… NO… it was the ashes, the debris… It was all of the ash and shattered earth caused in the split! It rotated around the remaining chunk of earth like the moon had once around the whole - before God knows what happened to it. The moon. It was probably hurling through space, released - forever lost, a melancholy freedom that would only end in death when it struck something out there. Newton. Damn Newton! Something hit the earth and now the moon and lost chunks of earth would hit something else some century! Space was all CHANCE! All FATE! … DAMMIT!   
  
Yet, that was not the current problem. The Gray was. For the creature was still speaking and it seemed almost… sorry for him. Sorry it didn't need to breath and poor mortal Raymond did…   
  
"The Gray destroyed it ALL… The Gray destroys everything organic…"   
  
Coughing, more coughing… dying… He was such an IDIOT!   
  
The air wasn't breathable! It was thick with the ash and debris! It was practically poison! Everything was coming together a few moments too late… They'd been trying to get him inside to extend his life, get a little more information… They'd known all along. Known from the first instant he didn't have two hours…   
  
Willing himself to fight this, to use his power… Ray tried to stand. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough sunlight. Perhaps if he… perhaps he'd stored enough to-  
  
He was on his feet, glowing.  
  
The creatures panicked. "NO!" They started for him.   
  
The light flickered and died - he hit his knees again hard.   
  
Relieved, the pair resumed their relaxed stances to watch him die. Concerned he would attempt to time travel again, returning to save his people and in the process eliminating THEIR people, they had been ready to murder him… however, that did not appear necessary now. Not at all. He would perish in short seconds.   
  
Eyesight fading at close range now, Ray could hear his lungs and feel the horrible crud within them. His blurry, pained vision studied the petrified, screeching face of a desperate and dying once-human. Gender undistinguishable in this loose, ashy formation - Ray studied the frightened eyes and mouth… the screaming, moaning mouth and the terrified, crying eyes…  
  
Anger. Unexpected and extreme anger took hold of him. Anger over everything! 18 years of lies and darkness. A year of stress, danger and hatred. LORD, he HATED his father! Damn him and damn Josh! Damn everyone! He hated EVERYONE! Trapped in time - the end of the human race. The end of everything he'd ever known including himself! The faces, the hundreds of screeching faces and his would join them. The anger was unmatchable… uncontainable…   
  
If he and humanity had to go, he'd take these heartless bastards and all three worlds with him! - Unfair reaction? Of course. Did it get him on his feet and glowing again? Absolutely.  
  
Unfortunately, as screeching mad as he was - certifiable and furious - Terrill was pinned down again and this time the needle really was going to kill him. Struggling and screeching, too angry to live anyway, he felt the solar energy slip away and the needle begin to pierce his vulnerable throat… struggling, his hand gripped one of their scanners…   
  
PAIN, extreme PAIN - dying… DYING!  
  
His life didn't flash before his eyes. Not at all. Panic. Nothing but pain and panic.  
  
AHHHHH!  
  
At the crucial instant… all his stored energy kicked into self-defense. His powers had always been far more reactive than proactive, after all. In an awesome, head spinning burst of light… everything changed…  
  
***  
  
Cissie answered distractedly, watching the empty rooms on her computer screen. Where was everyone? … "Hello?"  
  
"Arrowette, darling!" Ace's voice was loud and smiling in her ear.  
  
"No one here answers to that name any-"  
  
"It's been ages, dear!"  
  
Confused, "Um, I'm sorry, who is this, please?"  
  
"Now listen, sweetheart, have I got a deal for you!"  
  
"UM-"  
  
"Now, just tell me this, luv - who of Young Justice would be the very last person you'd want to be paired with for a challenge of some sort?"  
  
Uneasy, "Who is this? Is this-"  
  
"Slobo it is then, luv. Thanks for being SOOO agreeable, unlike some-"  
  
"GIVE ME THAT!" she heard Cassie, rough and furious in the background. Her best friend's voice was suddenly on the line, "Cissie, listen: That was the idiot running our stupid TV show. He's trying to volunteer you for some stupid new publicity stunt - DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING, ok?"  
  
"Calm down." Cissie was blunt, clicking her mouse. "Where are you guys? All the rooms are empty?"  
  
Cassie froze, freaked. "Um, what are you talking about?"  
  
"Is there some safe haven in The House? Why is no one on camera?"  
  
"Woah, woah - 'The House?' - you TV Junkie, Ciss! This is NOT Big Brother, alright? Now what are you on about? You can't watch us when the show's not airing."   
  
"Of course I can." Cissie was blunt. "Web site. 24-7 live feed."  
  
Cassie turned several shades red and calmly turned to Carr, "Snapper… was there anything in our crappy contracts about a web site…"  
  
"Yes…" Snapper dragged the word, unsure of her.  
  
"…with 24-7 live feed?"  
  
"NO…" Snapper dragged this word too, glaring at Ace.  
  
"I'll have to call you back, Ciss. It seems we have a little legal issue here…" Hanging up instantly, Cassie crossed her arms patiently, waiting for Ace to crumble.  
  
Unfortunately, the guy didn't look nervous at all. He was old hat with sour negotiations. "So… you don't like the web site, we'll take down the web site…" he smoothed.   
  
"I say this breech of contract voids everything." Cassie replied.  
  
"What?" Ace wasn't impressed, pretensions down.   
  
"Can the show or we sue." Cassie meant business.  
  
"Can't we cut a deal here, people?"   
  
Eight very angry, intimidating glares…   
  
***  
  
Hurling outrageously through that now familiar void of creation, Terrill tried to focus his vision and found he couldn't completely… He could hear voices though, indescribable voices… the voices of time…   
  
Third time through he could take in more… Woah. Reminded him of the wormholes in the movie Contact, only… real and almost translucent… like eternity or something…  
  
Why did he compare everything to pop culture? He'd been raised by a television, but-  
  
The echoing voices seemed to bounce off one another, piling up, overwhelming…  
  
He tried to cry out… but nothing… no sound… his eyes, his lungs… the painful gray…  
  
He could feel something in his hand - the scanner.   
  
A very loud, terrified voice started to mumble… middle range, male… LOUD…   
  
"…immortal… invisible…"  
  
He could just make out the odd word. What the-  
  
"…'tis only the splendor of light hideth thee…"   
  
Hit the brakes, hit the brakes… Wait, NO DON'T… don't…   
  
Who knew what waited for him. Perhaps he'd stop at the instant the meteor hit… or worse… at some other hideous point of destruction in the earth's miserable history! Oh Lord, Oh Lord, Oh Lord…  
  
"…a light inaccessible… blind are our eyes…"  
  
Stop… no, STOP… Ray… STOP!!!  
  
"…unresting… eternal… and silent as light…"  
  
Hitting the brakes, he-  
  
***  
  
-broke back into reality and into burning, desert sand… it took him several miles to grind to halt, having parted the sand in a long, very deep trial in his wake…  
  
Very ill, Ray lay breathing shallow and raspy in the blazing heat…  
  
The voices he'd just heard were fading from memory, his only focus to survive. He was surely dying after that encounter. He could scarcely move. He couldn't even raise a hand to touch his bleeding throat and judge the damage. Wheezing, gasping… deep breathing nearly killing him…   
  
He was blind. Painfully blind! Blind and his lungs… he couldn't breath… it was like… DROWNING… he was drowning!   
  
Where was he? … Or would he even survive to learn?   
  
***  
  
"Call me if you change you mind-" Ace was smiling pleasantly as Cassandra slammed the door rudely in his face.   
  
"I think that's the last of the cameras…" Impulse zipped before her.   
  
"It's too bad…" Robin entered, finally Robin again. "It was an interesting premise. Admittedly, I was totally against it - but that was personal. Impersonal, it might be good for the public to see all the hell we go through everyday for them, ya know?"  
  
Cassie was still sore with him and not really listening, "What are you on about, Rob? I need to call Cissie back…" Dialing the phone, she was oblivious to Robin's expression and gesture that implied she was in a mood and he would give her the distance bitches deserved.  
  
"Ciss? … Ya, everything's fine now… ya, I - WHAT? That web page STILL isn't down! … You can still see me? HOW? … ERRRRR…" she ripped the mini-camera from her collar. "Guys, we're still bugged. I'd forgotten all about these little-"  
  
"Wow!" Kon was in the next room. "Check this out!"   
  
Everyone gathered before the large computer terminal…  
  
"This is it, people. Our site." Kon was surfing Ace's Super Vision site.   
  
"Hey!" Impulse pointed enthusiastically. "Little us icons… you can click on me and see what I'm personally doing at all times! Cool!"  
  
"NOT cool-" Cassie started and then froze, an icon catching her eye.  
  
Everyone else was suddenly silent, seeing it too.  
  
RAY.   
  
"We could click and see where Ray is right now…" Secret said quietly.  
  
Silence…  
  
"Just to be cruel…" Cassie acknowledged.  
  
"Not like we really CARE…" Robin agreed.   
  
"Right, we just want to prove he actually ditched us coz he's an egotistical, stupid loser…" Kon agreed. "…you know, as opposed to the Impulse theory that he's hurt or captured or whatever…"   
  
"Wouldn't want to leave any doubt…" Anita admitted.  
  
"GUYS!" Impulse cut in. "I'm not AT ALL comfortable with this. I know you're all pissed, but I still like Ray and I think we should let him keep his dignity-"  
  
"Running away coz you suck - where's the dignity in that?" Kon, blunt.  
  
"GUYS-" Impulse tried again.  
  
"I'm SO clicking now." Kon ignored him, accessing the live feed.   
  
They all gasped in absolute terror.  
  
***  
  
Bombarded by the atmosphere   
You breath, you choke, you breath again  
Conversation disappears  
You realize they're not your friends  
The panic of the future rears  
You dig, you jerk, you find another way  
  
I don't know, but I believe in yesterday  
And what it means to breath  
And know that you're ok  
  
- "Right There Behind You", Our Lady Peace (1999)  
  
***  
  
A/N: Do these OLP lyrics not fit beyond perfection? Apologies for any typos, etc. I tried. Anyway, more soon! ^_^ 


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